There and Back Again
by Sarah of the Roman Isles
Summary: The price of the Battle of Hogwarts was too high. Too long did the burden of the world rest on Harry Potter's shoulders. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny decide to go back in time to when they were ten and eleven. But time travel has consequences. This world is different from their original. Both Harry and Ron have twins and Quirrell's not teaching at Hogwarts! AU, First Year.
1. Chapter 1- Back With a Bang

**There and Back Again**

**Sarah of the Roman Isles**

**Author's Note-** Hello all, Sarah here. It is my first fanfiction, at least on this site. I got this idea after reading a lot of time-travelling fics. They usually involved Harry and Hermione, and sometimes Ron or Ginny. And even here, the events played out the same way as they did in canon, meaning Harry and friends had very little to do. Granted, the main purpose of going back in time is to prevent a lot of deaths, but according to Pottermore, travelling back in time for even a few hours can be fatal. So what would travel as far back in time as seven years would cause? So, I decided to write a fanfic which definitely retained a lot of aspects of canon but also gave Harry and Co. something more to do than destroy all of Voldemort's Horcruxes in their first year and live the remaining six in peace. So, this fic would involve some different events than canon and not all changes will be for the better. Well anyway, enjoy!

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Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be a billionaire.

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**There and Back Again-**

**Chapter 1-**

The Battle of Hogwarts was over.

Voldemort tumbled backwards, arms splayed, scarlet pupils rolling up into hi snakelike head. Time seemed to freeze as Tom Riddle slowly hit the ground, never to walk again. Slowly, the serpentine face began to disintegrate as his unstable soul took leave of his body to make an unfathomable journey to who knew where. Harry looked upon his enemy's lifeless body. He had triumphed.

_Either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives. _

Harry was victorious but he barely felt so. The sun dawned; a yellow disc on the horizon, illuminating the Hogwarts Castle. The people around him exploded as one as they ran to meet their saviour, the one because of whom it was over. Ron and Hermione were the first to reach him, then Ginny and the entire Weasley family, followed by all of the professors and students of Hogwarts.

He was glad at the victory, but he hardly felt the need to celebrate. Tom Riddle was gone, but at the cost of so many brave lives. He remembered Fred's face, frozen in that eternal smile and he remembered Lupin and Tonks' lifeless bodies. So many families torn apart. He remembered Cedric dying with a flash of green light and he remembered Severus Snape as he bled to death. He remembered Dumbledore's broken body as he had toppled off the Astronomy Tower. He remembered Dobby taking Bellatrix's knife to save him. He remembered Colin, Mad-Eye, Lavender, all of them. They had strived for a better future for the entire Wizarding World, but it was one their own eyes were never going to see. Harry wished that he could somehow change all of it. Prevent all the deaths.

His emerald green eyes searched for Ron, Hermione and Ginny's and he knew they felt the same way. Their lips were twisted up in joyous smiles but there was also a shadow of grief and regret in their eyes. Even they dearly wished to change things. Get another chance.

As the students around them slowly dispersed to the Great Hall, Harry said bitterly, "I wish I could change things. Nobody deserved to die because of one power-hungry moron's greed for the world."

"Harry, mate, I wish it could be so too," replied Ron, voice thick with tears. "But what's done is done. They're not coming back."

"I think they can," said Harry.

Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How?"

"We'll go back in time. Back when we were ten and eleven years old."

"Oh, Harry," said Hermione. "I wish we could, but-"

Harry cut her off. "We can. Follow me."

"Harry," said Hermione, running after him. "We really mustn't. No one should travel back in time that far. A few hours are enough to cause permanent damage not only to the traveller, but to time itself. You know, in 1899, Eloise Mintumble was trapped in the year 1402 for five days. When she returned to her own timeline, she had aged five centuries. And she also caused a lot of irreparable damage to her original timeline. Twenty five of her descendants vanished from the present because apparently, they ceased to exist! Four of us seven years in the past would be extremely catastrophic!"

Harry allowed a thin smile to play on his lips. "That was with a Time Turner. I have a feeling this would be different."

"How," challenged Hermione.

"Wait and see."

Hermione pursed her lips but still followed the other three.

Harry led them through the ruins of Hogwarts to the Room of Requirement. The walls around it were dilapidated, but apparently the old magic was still intact. As they walked inside, they saw the room was made of pure glass all around. Their reflections stared back at them as curious, nervous and excited as their real selves.

Harry slowly knelt down placing the Elder Wand on the ground, followed by the Resurrection Stone. Finally he placed his treasured Invisibility Cloak around the Wand and the Stone. The Deathly Hallows were complete and Harry was their master.

Harry's eyes gleamed with tears as he reached for Ginny's hand. She grasped it within her own, offering the other to Ron. Ron took it; clasping Hermione's in his other as Hermione completed the square by joining hands with Harry.

"I wish we could go back in time when we were eleven years old," chanted Harry. His words were repeated by his three friends.

The Deathly Hallows began to glow with a soft blue light. The four felt themselves spinning around. The floor gave way underneath them. Harry could feel himself falling down a deep dark abyss. And suddenly time changed completely.

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BOOM!

"Up! Get out of bed this instant!"

Harry awoke with a jerk. Disoriented, he tried to take stock of his surroundings. He gave a start as he realized. The cupboard under the stairs! It was exactly as he remembered it. Small, dusty and full of spiders. His body was also smaller than he was accustomed to. His battle scarred body was gone; he was small, skinny and his skin was too soft to be a seventeen year olds'. He had a thin face and spindly knees and he was clad in Dudley's cast offs that were too big for him. An overwhelming sense of déjà vu washed over him. Surely, it couldn't be. The last thing he remembered was the Battle of Hogwarts, triumphing over Voldemort and deciding to go back in time. And here he was now. Again.

Harry felt around for his Sellotape bound round glasses. Adjusting them on his nose, he muttered distractedly, "Wow, I'm ten again."

Another rap on the door made him jump. "Up! Get up! Now!" Aunt Petunia screeched. In spite of himself, Harry grinned. This was so damned familiar he had to pinch himself to make sure it wasn't a dream.

"Up! Are you up yet?" demanded Aunt Petunia.

"Yes," replied Harry.

"Good," his aunt growled. "You are to do the chores in the garden today. Your brother will do the cooking." She stomped away.

Harry's mind whirled. He certainly didn't remember having a brother. Hermione had been right; travelling so far back in time was potentially catastrophic. He did a double take as he thought of Hermione. What if she, along with Ron and Ginny didn't exist in this new timeline? Or what if they hadn't gone back in time, but stuck somewhere in between the future and the past? Or what if they had travelled somewhere else? Or what if they hadn't travelled back in time at all?

Shaking, Harry tried to dispel the catastrophic thoughts, but he couldn't. He dearly wished none of the possibilities he had been ruminating over had happened. He seriously wondered how he was going to complete his mission alone.

Getting out of bed, he checked his small table calendar. It was the twenty-third of July. This meant that he would get his first Hogwarts letter that day. Probably along with his brother, if he was a wizard. Another horrible thought flitted through Harry's brain. What if he wasn't a wizard? Or what if magic didn't even exist in this timeline?

'Well,' thought Harry wryly. 'If magic doesn't exist or I'm not a wizard, at least I don't have to worry about Voldemort.'

Slowly, he thudded down the stairs. The Dursley kitchen was spic and span, and much too clean for Harry's taste. Sunlight entered the room through a big window on the left side. The mahogany table was covered in a garish green cloth.

A small boy of Harry's size was laying the table carefully. He had messy hair like Harry's but it was golden in colour. He looked up as Harry entered. He nearly did a double take. The boy's face was a little different than Harry's but even he shared Harry and Lily's emerald green eyes. A dull ache shot through his heart. It was almost like he was looking at his own reflection. The boy also had Harry's lightning bolt scar. It suddenly occurred to Harry what the scar meant. If what he was thinking was true, then the boy had a piece of Voldemort's soul residing in his scar! Harry nearly recoiled at the thought of hosting a bit of Voldemort's soul in his body again.

The boy grinned. Harry noticed he had dimples. "Hiya, Harry."

"Hey," Harry replied shakily.

The boy's eyes knit together in a frown. "You sure you slept well, Harry? You look a little pale."

"No, I'm fine," replied Harry, quickly trying to school his expression into a happier one.

The boy had finished laying the table and quickly walked out of the room. He returned in a few minutes, with the bacon and eggs. Systematically, he served it in the five plates that were set out.

Just as he added the second helping onto the last plate, the Dursley family walked in. They still looked the same way they had in the previous timeline. Aunt Petunia was still a tall horsy woman and Uncle Vernon and Dudley were still as obese and unhealthy as they had been. Dudley dropped heavily into his chair.

"Get me more bacon, Adam," he said.

'So my brother's called Adam,' thought Harry, peering interestedly at the boy. He had to snicker as he watched Adam roll his eyes comically as he served Dudley more bacon.

"Don't roll your eyes boy!" barked Uncle Vernon. "You dare show such cheek and ingratitude when we are providing you with food, water, a roof over your head and clothes on your back?"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon, sorry," replied Adam, rolling his eyes yet again. Harry had to hide a smile. Apparently his brother had the same streak of rebelliousness as him.

"Don't be cheeky boy, or you'll be in that cupboard for the rest of the summer." It was Aunt Petunia who scolded him this time. Adam huffed theatrically as he plopped down on his seat. The Dursleys ate their meal in subdued silence for a few minutes until the click of the letterbox and the flop of paper on the doormat announced the arrival of the mail.

"Get the post, Adam," growled Uncle Vernon.

"No, I'll get it," said Harry, sliding off his chair. His heartbeat quickened with every step to the door. If his calculations were correct, he'd be getting his first Hogwarts letter; probably his brother too. And sure enough, along with a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister—Aunt Marge who was on a holiday on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, there were two letters with envelopes of thick yellow parchment and addressed in green ink to Mr H Potter and Mr A Potter respectively. Harry grinned at the familiarity of it all. Remembering how his uncle and aunt had withheld his letter from him for nearly five days, he quickly slipped the letters in his pockets.

"Hurry up, boy," snapped his Uncle Vernon.

"Yes uncle," he answered, returning to the table and giving him the mail. He didn't speak a word about the letters during breakfast.

It turned out that the Dursleys had plans for the day. They were to go to the waterpark, followed by lunch with Aunt Petunia's friend, Yvonne and her family. Mrs Figg was still recovering from her broken leg and was unable to take Harry and Adam. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had mulled over the idea of taking the boys with them but Dudley had a tantrum, howling about how he didn't want a repeat of his birthday. At this point, Adam had to purposely knock his spoon to the floor and dive under the table to muffle his giggles. Even Harry suppressed a smile, remembering the boa constrictor he had set on his cousin. His aunt and uncle shot them a dirty look. It took a lot of coaxing, convincing and even pleading, but finally, albeit grudgingly the Dursley family left them alone at the house, locked in their cupboard.

Once the Dursleys' car had revved away, Harry said, "Adam, I didn't say anything at dinner because the Dursleys were there, but I found two letters addressed to us!"

"What?" Adam asked, eyes as wide as saucers. "But no one ever writes to us, except for the library."

"Well, we were wrong. Someone obviously wants to contact us," Harry replied, fishing out the letter and tossing Adam his. "Here you go."

With trembling fingers, Adam took his letter and slit open the envelope. However familiar this was, even Harry couldn't help trembling as he took his own letter. He couldn't believe he was actually back in time.

The letter was exactly as he remembered it.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster-Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)

Dear Mr Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours Sincerely

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry grinned as he finished his letter and looked up at his brother. Adam's eyes grew wider with every sentence he read, until Harry was sure they would pop out of his head. Finally he looked up.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he whispered excitedly and unbelievingly. "It must be a big joke, right? A colossal joke cooked up by the Dursleys for a bit of a laugh?"

"No, Adam, I don't think so," answered Harry, using his brother's name for the first time. It felt both foreign and familiar on his tongue. It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, knowing that this boy was the brother he had craved for so long. Whatever suspicions he had about him disappeared. He knew he had to protect his little brother at all costs.

"Why?" Adam cross-questioned.

"Well, doesn't it seem too imaginative an idea to come from the Dursleys' brains? And you know how much they hate anything acting out of the ordinary. They wouldn't use such an idea even to play a joke. It's too abnormal for them."

"Oh, Harry, what if you're right? What if we really are wizards?" Adam nearly breathed.

"Well I think we could write to them, can't we?" replied Harry.

"How?"

"Didn't they write something like, 'We await your owl by no later than 31 July?' "

"You're right!" Adam gasped. "But where are we going to find an owl here?"

"Look out of the window," grinned Harry. Sure enough, there on the sign that said Privet Drive, was perched a handsome tawny owl which Harry had immediately recognized as the Hogwarts post owl.

"Well that proves it," said Adam. "Hogwarts is real and we are wizards. You wouldn't see an owl in broad daylight here and the fact that the letter mentions owls is too much of a coincidence."

"Right you are," replied Harry.

"We also have a booklist, Harry," said Adam fishing another piece of parchment out of his envelope. Harry did the same. The booklist was exactly as he remembered it too.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

UNIFORM-

First year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear.

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

SET BOOKS-

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT-

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a rat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Can we buy everything in London?" asked Adam.

"Probably," answered Harry, with a shrug. "Listen, we should really give them our answer."

"Oh, yes," said Adam. "I'll write the letter shall I?"

"Okay," responded Harry. Adam fetched a paper and pen from a drawer and set to work. Harry read the letter over his shoulder. It ran thus:

To,

Miss/Mrs Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Dear Miss/Mrs McGonagall,

I, Adam Potter, am writing to you on behalf of both myself and my brother, Harry Potter. We are thrilled to receive your letter and delighted to say that we accept your offer of receiving magical education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

However, both of us are relatively new to the magical world and we do not know where we can buy all our school requirements. If you could send an official from the school to guide us and help us out, it would be great.

Please let us know at your convenience

Yours sincerely

Adam Potter.

Harry grinned as he read the letter. Adam's style reminded him so much of Hermione's that it almost hurt. It was exactly the sort of formal letter Hermione would have written in such a situation. Harry wondered who had shown her around Diagon Alley in her first year. He had never thought of asking her that.

"It sounds all right, doesn't it?" asked Adam, biting his lips as he re-read his letter.

"Yes it does," answered Harry. Adam folded the letter neatly and sealed in an envelope before he opened the window. The tawny owl swooped over and sat on the windowsill, looking at him out of expectant amber eyes.

"Here," intervened Harry, taking the letter from Adam and tying it to the owl's leg. It nipped both the boys' ears before soaring off. Harry stared after it; an excited and nervous feeling inside him, knowing it might be seven very different years at Hogwarts. Again.

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**AN-** The bit about Eloise Mintumble is taken from the page on time travel on Pottermore. Harry and Adam's Hogwarts' letters and booklists are taken from the Philosopher's Stone. And I also changed the instruction that says students are allowed to bring and owl, cat or toad. To this day, I have no idea how Scabbers was allowed. So I went ahead and made it official to allow pupils to have a rat as a pet.

The next chapter will include Ron and Ginny and probably Hermione and how they are coping with time travel. See how it goes, anyway.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please do review!


	2. Chapter 2- A Very Weasley Family Reunion

**There and Back Again**

**Sarah of the Roman Isles**

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**Author's Note- I'm back again! Thanks to all who reviewed, followed and favourited this story. You make my day.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be a billionaire.**

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**There and Back Again-**

**Chapter 2-**

BOOM!

Ron awoke, drenched in sweat and heart pounding. He gulped in deep lungful's of air, looking around himself. No, surely not.

He was in his room at the Burrow. Yes, there was no mistaking it; covered in bright orange and posters of the Chudley Cannons plastered over every inch of the wall. His body was also smaller, and not battle-scarred like before. All the signs were in front of him. He had travelled back in time.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, sinking down on his bed. It felt so good to lie down on it after heaven knew how many days of travelling in the wild.

Before he had any chance of getting used to time-travel, the door to his room banged open. Instinctively, he groped on his bedside table for his wand, before realizing he was eleven and didn't have a wand as of yet.

"Ron, relax, its' just me," said the girl who had thrown open the door.

It was Ginny, but she looked so smaller. Her cheeks were chubby again and her tomato-red hair was pulled back into two childish pigtails.

"Did you travel back in time as well?" asked Ginny softly, voice trembling.

"Yes," answered Ron. "Merlin. This has to be a dream, right?"

"It's totally unbelievable," agreed Ginny with a shake of her head. "Do you think Harry and Hermione travelled back in time as well?"

"I hope so," he replied. "It will be bloody hard doing anything if they haven't gone back."

"Ron! Ginny!" came Mrs Weasley's voice. "Breakfast's ready!"

Ron and Ginny exchanged a smile before they went down for breakfast.

A delicious smell was wafting from the kitchen of the Burrow. The window was thrown open, allowing bright sunlight to cascade in. Mrs Weasley was working her magic in the kitchen. At the scrubbed oak table, four members of the red-haired family were sitting. Mr Weasley, a tall, thin and balding man along with three of his sons, Percy, Fred and George were chatting happily.

"Fred," Ron breathed his blue eyes wide and unbelieving.

Without another word, both Ron and Ginny crashed towards the table. "Fred!" they howled, jumping on their brother.

Fred only had time to mutter, "Holy Merlin," before he was smothered in hugs.

"Ron, Ginny, what the hell, gerroff!" he protested.

Finally, Ron and Ginny let go of their brother.

"What was that about?" asked Fred with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I had a nightmare," answered Ron softly, putting his arms around Fred. Ginny did the same. Yes, after all, now that they were back in time, it all seemed like a nightmare.

"We were fighting at Hogwarts against Voldemort," he continued. The reactions were immediate. Ginny remained unruffled, but Mr Weasley and the twins gasped, while Percy's elbow slipped from where he was resting it on the table. Another voice actually gave a little scream. But what really clicked in Ron and Ginny's mind was that it was a girl's voice.

Ron and Ginny both broke away from Fred's embrace. A girl who looked a lot like Ginny was sitting at the table. Her hair was as red as any of the other Weasley's and her eyes were big, round and blue like forget-me-nots. Her cheekbones were a little higher than normal, making her cheeks look even chubbier than they were.

"Ron, do not use that name," scolded Molly from the kitchen.

"Yeah, sorry," Ron replied. He was amazed at himself, but somehow, he didn't fear the name anymore. It was just a stupid alias for a mad maniac.

"Who're you?" Ron addressed the girl, sounding rather more aggressive than he had meant to.

"It's just me, Ron," answered the girl looking confused. "It's Stephanie."

Ron nodded.

"Of course," he answered, trying to mask his confusion and astonishment. "Sorry,"

"Anyway, what about your dream," pressed George.

"It was horrible," Ron said. "We were fighting and Percy had just jinxed the Minister,"

"Wow, Perce, knew you had it in you!" teased Fred.

"No, it was just a dream, remember?" said George.

"Boys," scolded Mr Weasley. "Now is not the time. Ron, son, what happened next?"

"Percy jinxed the Minister. And then there was a big explosion." Ron paused to wipe tears from his eyes, along with Ginny.

"And?" asked George.

"Fred died," said Ron. The smile vanished from everyone's faces. "No one else was hurt. The look on George's face after he found, I'll never forget-" Ron broke down completely. Ginny put her arms around him. George's face was extremely pale; he was certainly picturing that very scenario.

"It was bad," said Ginny in a voice thick with tears. "When Ron told me about it, it just seemed so real."

Without a word, Percy slipped his arms around his siblings. "Don't worry," he whispered softly. "It was just a dream. When you go to Hogwarts, there is going to be nothing involving You-Know-Who there. And if there is, well, the fact that he is You-Know-Who won't stop us from kicking his arse."

Ginny and Ron gave weak giggles. Fred and George, for once, were at a loss for jokes and wrapped their siblings in a hug. Stephanie joined in as well.

The rest of the breakfast was the usual Weasley buzz of chatter, interrupted only by the arrival of the owls with their Hogwarts letters. Ron noted Stephanie also got one, which meant the girl was his twin sister.

"So, mum, when will we visit Diagon Alley?" asked Percy.

"Probably next Sunday." replied Mrs Weasley.

"Mum," Ron said. "I was wondering if I could get my own wand." He had been thinking about it and had realized that for all the plans they had, he most definitely needed his own wand.

"Yeah, mum, can I get one too?" piped up Stephanie.

Mrs Weasley paled a little. "Two wands? That would be difficult, I thought Ron could use Bill's old wand and Stephanie could use Charlie's. We'll see. If we can afford them, we most certainly will."

After breakfast, Stephanie retired to her and Ginny's room to read and Percy retired to his. Fred and George were in their room, undoubtedly cooking up some new trick or prank. Ron and Ginny were in Ron's room, discussing their future plans.

"So," said Ron. "What's the deal with Stephanie?"

"I only have a guess," answered Ginny. "You heard what Hermione said about time travel. I think that when we used the Deathly Hallows to travel back in time, we changed the world; but not drastically, just a little bit. We simply ended up in a world where we had one sibling more, that's all. I don't think there's anything fishy about her."

"Makes sense," said Ron. "But remember the butterfly effect. And having her around is certainly going to complicate our plans."

"Yup," Ginny said. "But there's nothing we can do about that now. And speaking of plans, I wanted to talk about Percy."

"Oh yes," replied Ron, voice choked with emotion. "There's no way in hell I'm letting him walk away like that again."

"I know," agreed Ginny. "But actually, when he went away, it got me thinking about what made him leave. And it may seem silly, but I think that partly, it was us that pushed him away."

"Us? How?" asked Ron incredulously.

"Well, you see, Fred, George, you and me, we were all constantly ribbing him about being Head Boy and Prefect and Crouch and all that stuff. I think we overstepped the line sometimes and it got to him."

"I think you're right," acknowledged Ron slowly. "But we should stand up for him now. Whenever we feel the twins are teasing him too much. Crossing the limit for fun and in the name of sibling rivalry is wrong."

"Yes," said Ginny. "But moving on, have you ever given a thought to Scabbers?"

"Holy shit!" swore Ron. "I completely forgot about him."

His gaze immediately went over to the cage that contained a fat grey rat also known as Peter Pettigrew or Wormtail. After checking thoroughly whether the rat was fast asleep, Ron returned to where he was sitting.

"How do you even know about him?" he demanded.

"Ron," laughed Ginny. "Once we were in Grimmauld Place and had met Sirius, the story came out, didn't it? Do you have any plans for him?"

"Not right now, no. Do you?"

"Well, a good thing would be just to let Crookshanks eat him up," said Ginny. "But we can't do that. Sirius has been in Azkaban for eleven years because of him. It's imperative to keep him alive; we need his testimony to free Sirius."

"An obvious plan would be to let one of the teachers reveal him, but who would do it and why?" said Ron.

"McGonagall!" exclaimed Ginny suddenly.

"Huh?" asked Ron.

"Professor McGonagall is an Animagus. And she'll show you her cat form too. So you three can pretend that you did a little bit of research in the library about Animagi. You can pretend to be really interested in how to become one. The discussion will progress from there and you can ask how to identify Animagi. She'll mention the spell along with the demonstration and you'll handily have Scabbers on you. The spell will transform him and he's caught."

"Gin, that's brilliant!" whooped Ron. "Absolutely brilliant!"

"No problem," she shrugged. "But I've been wondering Ron, how will it be possible for me to always be with you three? I mean, I'll still be a year below you three. We won't have any classes together. The most we could meet will be in the common room sometimes. And people will expect me to hang out with the students in my year."

"Well," said Ron. "We'll need Dumbledore as an ally if we're going to bring down Voldemort sooner. So it'll be necessary to divulge this information to him. When he learns you are a Time Traveller too, I think he'll promote you up a year."

"I don't think we can skip years at Hogwarts Ron," replied Ginny. "Look at it logically; if we could, then there's no reason Hermione wouldn't have been promoted up a year. Come to think of it, I don't think even Dumbledore himself or even Voldemort skipped years at Hogwarts."

"That's a problem," agreed Ron, frowning. "But we'll figure something out, don't worry," he said, putting an arm around his younger sister. Ginny returned the hug, and in that moment, after a long time, it felt like everything was right again.

* * *

The rest of the week passed in the usual Weasley manner. Ron and Ginny felt wonderful at being back among their family and participated in every task with vim and vigour. After around half an hour in her company, Ron and Ginny found that they liked Stephanie's company a lot and the girl had already become a sister to them.

On Sunday, they visited Diagon Alley. After paying a visit to Gringotts, Mrs Weasley hurried them off to buy books at a second hand store. After calculating the money left, Mr Weasley decided that there was enough to buy new wands for Ron and Stephanie and the family went straight to Ollivanders.

The shop was small, cramped and dusty but undoubtedly gave off an aura of powerful magic. Long, thin boxes containing wands were stacked on shelves towering from the floor to the ceiling.

"Hello," whispered a voice and everyone jumped. Mr Ollivander, a thin old man emerged from the shadows, his pale eyes gleaming.

"The Weasleys!" he exclaimed. "What a pleasure! Arthur, it was a hornbeam wand with a dragon heartstring, twelve inches, wasn't it? And Molly, a poplar wand with a unicorn tail hair, eleven and a three quarter inches, right? Percy here was best suited to a willow wand of twelve and a half inches with a dragon heartstring and Fred and George here favoured identical wands; thirteen inches, dogwood with a unicorn hair, am I right?"

"Of course, Mr Ollivander," replied Mrs Weasley merrily. "We popped in to buy wands for Ron and Stephanie."

"Ah, yes," said Mr Ollivander regarding the two children. "Who's the eldest?" he questioned.

"Me," said Ron.

"Wand hand?" asked the wandmaker.

"Right."

Mr Ollivander's magic tape measure began measuring him as Mr Ollivander flitted amongst the shelves.

"Hmm," he said. "If you had walked in here a few months ago, young Ronald, I would have immediately recommended a wand with a unicorn tail hair as its core. But now, I realize something different is needed."

"Here, try this," he said, handing Ron a wand. "Apple wood, dragon heartstring, twelve and a half inches."

Ron waved it around but nothing happened.

"No, it doesn't seem this is the one for you," replied Mr Ollivander. "Perhaps something along the lines of your older brother, Charlie? He favoured a wand of English Oak and dragon heartstring, twelve inches in length. Here, English Oak, phoenix feather fourteen inches in length."

But it was not the one for Ron either. Mr Ollivander continued the process until finally he said, "Well, this might be the one for you. Quite a powerful combination, spruce with phoenix feather and thirteen inches in length."

As Ron took it in his hand, he felt a warm feeling surge up his arm. As he waved it, bright red sparks shot up from the wand. He had felt his old wand was very good, but this new one was totally different and felt even more wonderful.

Mr Ollivander crowed in delight while the other Weasleys cheered.

"Now for Stephanie," said Mr Ollivander. As the tape measure measured her, the wandmaker again roamed the shelves.

Finally he reappeared and said, "Try this one. Vine, dragon heartstring nine and a quarter inches."

It wasn't the one for Stephanie. Neither was a hazel one with a unicorn tail hair nor one of fir with dragon heartstring. Finally he said, "Well, another powerful combination might work for you as well. Ten and a three quarter inches, rowan with a phoenix feather."

Stephanie took it, feeling a warmth rush up her arm. She brought the wand down in a shower of gleaming blue sparks.

Again, everybody whooped.

"Strange it is," whispered Mr Ollivander, peering at Ron and Stephanie. "Seldom have I sold a wand of rowan and spruce is a rare wand wood too. Phoenix feathers are the rarest and most powerful wand cores too. Yes, I do believe we will be seeing outstanding things from both of you in the future."

Stephanie shivered inadvertently.

As they left the shop, she said, "Merlin, that man was so creepy!"

"I know," replied Ron. "All those outstanding things stuff."

As they walked home, Ron had a feeling it were going to be seven very different years Hogwarts.

* * *

I hope you liked the chapter!

**AN-** Ron's wand in canon is fourteen inches, willow and unicorn hair. According to Wand Woods on Pottermore, willow wands generally favour wizards who are a little insecure. Ron's insecurities came out during the war, especially during the incident with the Horcrux. But I think the War also helped him realize he was irreplaceable to Harry, Hermione and his family. He got together with the girl he loved and he helped his best mate defeat a Dark Lord. I think that did wonders to his confidence and also banished a lot of his insecurities. Spruce wands generally choose wizards with bold spell casting and a good sense of humour, according to Pottermore. Ron fits both categories according to me. He is also quite a good wizard for an eleven year old now, and it makes sense he would use a wand with a phoenix feather core.

Stephanie's wand wood, rowan is best suited a pure-hearted and clear-thinking individual, according to Pottermore. Rowan wands also never choose dark wizards. All of this fitted Stephanie's character as I have formed it and I decided to give her a rowan wand. And speaking of Stephanie, both she and Adam will have huge roles to play in this story, despite being around seven years younger than the Golden Trio.

I know Charlie's wand isn't the same as in canon, but if Ron is using Charlie's old wand, Charlie would definitely have a new one. I gave him an English Oak one because it is he wand best suited to wizards who feel a companionship with major animals. Fred and George have dogwood wands as they are the ones best suited to quirky, mischievous and playful wizards. Percy has a willow one as he is rather insecure. Mr Weasley has a hornbeam wand as it is best suited to someone who has a clear goal in life irrespective of what others think. Mr Weasley's job is I think self-explanatory as to why he owns a hornbeam wand. Mrs Weasley owns one of poplar because it chooses ones with clear moral visions. Also, all the Weasley's wands aren't canon, they're concocted from my imagination.

And now I have rambled for quite a long time, so I'll bid Adieu until the next chapter.

Hope you enjoyed this one and don't forget to leave a review!


	3. Chapter 3- Of Muggles and Magic

**There and Back Again**

**Sarah of the Roman Isles**

Author's Note- I'm back again! Thanks to all who reviewed, followed and favourited this story. You make my day.

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be a billionaire.

Jaya Avendel- I'm glad you like the chapter! I love Ginny's pigtails too! Ron, along with Harry and Hermione is going to have seven really different and interesting years at Hogwarts.

Paulaa90- Ginny will get a wand during the next year. Since she's ten years old now, there's no reason she should require one. She does have a few plans for the diary; they'll be revealed as the story progresses. I'm glad you like the chapter.

* * *

**There and Back Again-**

**Chapter 3-**

BOOM!

Hermione Granger awoke with a start, blinking her big brown eyes to get used to the blinding sunlight dancing into her room.

Wait a minute. Her room.

Hermione looked around herself in wonder. Yes, she was definitely back in her childhood bedroom; the walls decorated in cheery sea foam green and white. A big glass door overlooked a balcony. A few ornamental plants hung from the ceiling. Her bed was covered in a delicate lavender coloured bed sheet with a floral design. A few paintings were mounted on the walls, along with three enormous bookshelves, containing all her favourite classics.

Hermione jumped out of bed and hurried over to her dressing table. She gasped as she looked into the mirror. Instead of the woman she had grown accustomed to, she saw herself a small, bushy haired girl. With disgust, she also noted her buck teeth were back.

"I'm eleven again," she whispered in disbelief.

Finishing up her bath, she settled onto her bed with a copy of her favourite book, 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen. She was soon lost in old Britain, sharing every pleasure and woe with the Bennetts and Mr Darcy and the other characters.

Around twenty minutes later, Hermione decided to join her parents at the breakfast table.

"Good morning, Hermione, dear," greeted her mother, Jessica Granger, a medium- heighted woman with keen blue eyes and her daughter's bushy brown hair.

"Did you sleep well?" inquired her father, Chris Granger, a tall man with black hair and his daughter's doe brown eyes.

"Good morning, Mum, Dad," wished Hermione happily. A warm feeling surged up her at saying those two blessed words after almost a year. "I slept great!"

Hermione's breakfast was a riot of chatter. It felt good talking to her parents again. Just as she was buttering her slice of bread, the doorbell rang.

"Goodness, who can it be?" wondered aloud Chris as he opened the door. Outside, there was a tall woman with black hair pulled back into a severe bun, dressed in emerald robes and an emerald hat.

"Yes?' asked Chris, a little confusedly.

Hermione heard the voice of Professor Minerva McGonagall answer, "I take it I'm addressing Mr Chris Granger?"

He nodded.

"Is your daughter Miss Hermione Granger?" she asked in a crisp voice.

"Yes," was the answer.

"Good. I'm Minerva McGonagall. Now, I need to talk about this with your entire family so-"

Chris cut her off. "Of course, of course. Please do come inside!" He stood aside, ushering the witch in.

Once Professor McGonagall was seated in the living room along with the Grangers, she said, "Now, I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Chris snorted in an extremely undignified way. However, Professor McGonagall didn't look insulted at all; on the contrary she looked amused.

"I can prove it if you wish." Suddenly in place of the witch, there was a beautiful cat. And in the next minute she was a witch again.

Jessica and Chris paled. This was certainly a lot more than playing card tricks or turning wands into flowers.

"Whoa," muttered the Grangers and Hermione quickly widened her eyes, remembering she was supposed to be a stranger to magic.

"Does this prove it?" asked Professor McGonagall with an amused smile.

"Yes," replied Jessica and Chris slowly.

"Well, as I was saying, I'm from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I'm delighted to inform you that your daughter Hermione has a place at Hogwarts."

"She's a witch?" gasped Chris. The word was particularly abusive but it wasn't the strangest thing in the conversation.

"Yes."

"But how do you know?" asked Jessica.

"At Hogwarts, we use extremely ancient and potent spells that can automatically determine the birth of a magical child within Britain. But, I'll assume a lot of signs were there, Mrs Granger. Have you ever noticed any unusual things happening around your daughter, particularly if she was unhappy or angry?"

Chris winced, remembering an exceptionally nasty incident where Hermione had made the benches in her classroom fly and ram into the walls after losing a mark on her chemistry test.

Both parents nodded.

"Well, that is something we describe as accidental magic. Children below the age of eleven haven't quite explored and reigned in their magical prowess yet, so they can make unusual things happen."

Chris and Jessica nodded mutely.

"And here is Hermione's official Hogwarts acceptance letter," said the Professor, fishing out a letter out of her bag.

Hermione's fingers tingled as she took it. Even after seven years, the feeling never got old. Breaking the ornate wax seal, she slid the letter out of the envelope and began to read. It was exactly as she remembered it. Chris and Jessica read it over her shoulder.

"Well, for starters, can you tell us more about Hogwarts?" asked Jessica.

"Hogwarts," began Professor McGonagall, "Is widely touted as the best magical school in the world. Our Headmaster, is Albus Dumbledore, widely regarded as the greatest wizard in the world. The school is situated in Scotland-"

"Scotland?" interrupted Chris, paling. "A boarding school?"

"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall.

"We aren't sure we want Hermione to go away to Scotland at such a young age."

"I'm eighte-eleven!" exclaimed Hermione, forgetting her age for a moment and hastily rectifying it. But her parents were too lost in confusion and worry to notice her slip.

"Hogwarts is perfectly safe. Ancient magic guards the school and I can vouch for the fact that your daughter would be perfectly safe. Of course, if you don't want her to go to Hogwarts, you'll have to find some magical tutors who can home school her. It is imperative that Hermione learns to control her magic otherwise it can lead to major catastrophes."

"All right," said Jessica. "If we let Hermione attend Hogwarts, I still have a question about the syllabus."

"What is that?"

"All the subjects that are on this list don't look like anything related to non-magic classes. Hermione won't be able to get a well-rounded education with subjects so heavily partial towards magic."

"Actually, she will," answered Professor McGonagall. "In recent times, Hogwarts has started a new practice wherein all students who are interested to continue their Muggle, which is non-magical education can attend classes in the school. For that, we have created a Muggle wing in the school. We have English, all branches of science, that is physics, chemistry and biology, history, geography, a foreign language like French, Spanish or German, design and technology, music and art. Maths is not included in the Muggle part of the curriculum as we use that during Arithmancy, a subject students are offered as an elective in their third year. Sadly, we can't offer information technology, as Hogwarts' magical field prevents any electronic devices from working."

Hermione's head reeled. She certainly didn't remember a policy like that at Hogwarts.

"That's neat," admitted Jessica and Hermione had to agree with her mother. "Can Hermione take all of these subjects?"

"No. The most she can take is five."

"All right," answered Hermione. "I'll sign on for science, English, history, geography and Spanish."

"Okay," replied Professor McGonagall.

"So where can she buy her school supplies?" asked Chris.

"We have a hidden centre known as Diagon Alley for that," answered Professor McGonagall. "If you like, we can visit today itself."

"Certainly," replied Chris.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they were at Diagon Alley and Professor McGonagall was explaining Chris and Jessica about the norms and cultures of the Wizarding World, as they trundled down in a cart in Gringotts.

Hermione took this time to ruminate upon her years at Hogwarts.

Before her first year at Hogwarts, she had been so excited about being a part of a new world that she had almost forgotten that she was a part of another one as well. After entering her teenage years, she had started seeing her parents less and less. The holiday she had taken with them to France before her third year seemed to be the last time she actually spent time with them. After that, she had begun to spend most of her holidays at the Burrow or Grimmauld Place. Hermione's heart gave a twinge as she realised she had pushed her parents away from her in the hope of keeping them safe. They hadn't even known she had a crush on Ron. Hermione vowed she wouldn't let that happen again.

But then again, the Wizarding laws had played a big part too. The Statue of Secrecy meant that no student below the age of seventeen could perform magic without being detected by the Ministry. While it had its' merits, Hermione realised that the law prevented Muggleborn students from showing their parents what they had learnt and achieved. That was one thing Hermione wanted to change during this second chance.

It also hadn't escaped Hermione's mind how the Wizarding world seemed to be stuck in the nineteenth century. While the Muggle world ran on modern, up-to-date laws, the Wizarding World was governed by ancient ones. The blood status nonsense was big testimony to this fact. The taunts she had received for her Muggle heritage were shallow, baseless and demoralizing. Blood status, she realised, had led to an unequal hierarchy within the society and had eventually led to a corrupt, incompetent and unstable government.

Hermione had also realised that while most Blood Purist regarded Muggles as dirt, even decent wizards subconsciously treated them like they were dumb. In the Wizarding World, Muggles were treated either like dirt or like little children; pitied and hated for not being magical. However, Hermione realized that while she thought that her parents had listened to her tales simply to be polite, they might have understood much more than she herself guessed. Hermione decided that if worst come worst, her parents were in danger even in this timeline, she would send them to Australia with their consent.

Finally, they left Gringotts and made their first stop at Madame Malkins. Hermione decided upon three nice sets of black school robes, a winter cloak, two pairs of protective gloves and a pointed black hat. They then visited Flourish and Blotts and Hermione, as usual, picked up various extra books along with the course books.

"Ravenclaw for sure this one," muttered the wizard behind the counter as they paid for their purchases.

"What's that?" asked both parents sharply.

"Oh, that's just the name of a school house," informed Professor McGonagall. "In Hogwarts, first year students are sorted into four houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. They were named after the four founders of Hogwarts- Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. The pupils are sorted upon their attributes. Each house prefers a specific set of attributes. Gryffindor favours the bold and brave; Hufflepuff, the hardworking and loyal; Ravenclaw, the witty and intelligent and Slytherin, the cunning and ambitious. He just meant that he thought Hermione was certain to be a member of Ravenclaw house, based upon the number of books she's brought."

The last sentence was said with an approving glance upon Hermione.

"Ravenclaw sounds nice," said Chris.

"No house is inferior and no house is superior," preached Professor McGonagall. "The house a pupil is in is merely a reflection of the qualities of the pupil. He or she is placed in that particular house only because they are best suited there."

Chris and Jessica agreed. The next shop they visited was the apothecary to stock up on various potions ingredients. They visited a shop to buy Hermione's cauldron and another to buy a telescope. At Ollivanders, Hermione was chosen by her old, faithful vine wood and dragon heartstring wand. When they finally got to the shop to buy writing material, Hermione was flabbergasted to see notebooks and pens in the display case.

"Oh, yes," said Professor McGonagall in answer to Hermione's wide-eyed look. "We allow our pupils to use pens and notebooks at Hogwarts. For a long time we used parchment and quills, but so many Muggleborn pupils complained that we allowed notebooks and pens for them. Gradually, a lot of other students began to prefer them, though some students still favour the parchment and quills."

Hermione smiled to herself. Until now, she had experienced two new policies at Hogwarts and she could honestly say that they were really beneficial. Hermione had found parchment and quills uncomfortable after being so used to pens and a lot of other Muggleborns had shared her opinion. She had also wondered whether to continue her education in the Muggle world after a seven year long break by going down some years, but now it wouldn't be necessary seeing Hogwarts had offered an excellent alternative. On the whole, Hermione really thought that in the new timeline, the Wizarding World was a little more modern than it had been in the previous one.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione exited the Magical Menagerie with her gorgeous, ginger haired tomcat, Crookshanks, cuddled up in her arms.

"What's its name?" asked Chris, fondling the cat.

"Crookshanks."

"He's half-Kneazle, this one," said Professor McGonagall, peering interestedly at Crookshanks.

"Kneazles?' asked Hermione questioningly, though she knew the answer.

"Kneazles are cat-like, with flecked, speckled or spotted fur, out-sized ears and a tail like that of a lion's. They are highly intelligent and have an uncanny ability to detect untrustworthy individuals. They are independent, sometimes aggressive and capable of guarding homes."

"Cool!" exclaimed Hermione, a little over-enthusiastically.

As she went to bed that night, she knew for sure that it were going to be seven very different years at Hogwarts.

* * *

**AN-** I decided to have Hogwarts offering Muggle education, as I always wondered about what happened to Muggleborns' Muggle education once they began to attend Hogwarts. I'm sure there were many intelligent Muggleborns at Hogwarts like Hermione who weren't exactly thrilled to leave their Muggle education halfway. So I included that. The pens and notebooks are also included for similar reasons. I'm pretty sure Muggleborns would find it hard to get used to parchment and quills after being so used to pens and notebooks.

**I hoped you enjoyed it and don't forget to leave a review!**


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